For as long as I have been at this school, one thing has not changed and that is the furniture in Davison Hall. The old rustic chairs and tables are a staple of this school and contribute to the “Hogwarts aesthetic” everyone loves to talk about when they enter Davison Hall. With all of this in mind however, Saint Anselm Dining Services decided it was time for a change to the beloved furniture and opted for a more sleek and dark wood set in contrast to the classic rustic wooden chairs and tables.

To say that the change has been met with positivity would be a flat out lie as in the weeks leading up to our return to campus from winter break, students who returned early began posting their feedback on YikYak followed with pictures of the new furniture. The feedback was overwhelmingly negative. Many users, who were not yet moved back on Claris, were quick to voice their distain about the change. Although YikYak was relatively inactive during the break, posts complaining about the new furniture was trending on the hot page and were garnering many upvotes.

The backlash to the changes of the furniture of Davison Hall only grew stronger as the semester started. As the entire student body returned, dining services continued to ramp of their changes to the furniture in Davison Hall as they began replacing more of the tables with new ones. Although disputed by dining services in an Instagram story post, the classic round tables that are designed for more intimate conversation with a larger group were being scrapped without their replacement readily available, as dining services stated that the order of new round tables had not arrived. This still generated controversy as the it left many students questioning the need implement this change hastily, during the semester.

Students have been voicing their concerns, not only over Yik yak but in person as well, Christopher Berthao’25 said “Unfortunately, dining services and AVI, continue to make decisions that impact the student body without the student body’s input or feedback.” Voicing his discontent further he continued by saying “Dav used to look very unique because of the furniture but now looks like any other college’s dining hall.” The lack of personality in the furniture seems to resonate with many of the upperclassmen who are inclined to be more attached to the old furniture. Personally, I find myself agreeing that the changes to the furniture do hurt the dining hall’s aesthetic and feel. Furthermore, I am really happy I got to experience my first and last Christmas Feast with the old furniture, something about the old furniture really contributed to the Christmas spirit as they were more welcoming and endearing to traditional holiday fun. It is much harder for me to

imagine the new furniture being as endearing during the holidays as their more contemporary look does not contribute to a traditional Christmas feel.

Another issue with the new chairs is that they have an inferior design, lacking armrests, Katelinn Farris ’28 was quick to point this out saying “I miss the old chairs with the armrests.” The lack of armrests has seemingly disturbed the student body and really highlights how the new chairs are a practical downgrade. On the other hand, one could argue the new chairs are more supportive to plus size people as the lack of armrests make then less restrictive, a rare positive in this furniture change controversy.

In conclusion, the changes to furniture in Davison Hall have not been received well by the student body due to the attachment the aesthetic that the old furniture provided and the perceived drop in quality that the furniture provides. Personally, I do agree that the changes to the furniture scrap the uniqueness our dining hall once had, replacing it with a more basic feel that can be found at any other college’s dining hall.